FIRST LOOK: Disney Channel’s “The Lion Guard”

FIRST LOOK: Disney Channel's "The Lion Guard"

The epic storytelling of Disney’s The Lion King continues with The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, a primetime television movie event premiering in November on Disney Channel. The studio just released the first clip from the film – and the animation is on par with the original theatrical classic.

Ford Riley (“Special Agent Oso”) developed the movie and series and serves as executive producer. Howy Parkins (“Jake and the Never Land Pirates”) is the director. Christopher Willis (“Mickey Mouse”) is the composer and Beau Black (“Miles from Tomorrowland”) is singer/songwriter.

The movie follows Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala, as he assumes the role of leader of the Lion Guard, a team of animals tasked with preserving the Pride Lands. The movie is a precursor to The Lion Guard television series, premiering in early 2016 on Disney Channels and Disney Junior channels around the globe.

A special preview of “The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” will be presented at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, on Sunday August 16th at 2pm. James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella reprise their roles from “The Lion King” as Mufasa and Pumbaa, respectively, alongside Rob Lowe (“The Grinder”) as Simba and Gabrielle Union (“Being Mary Jane”) as Nala. Max Charles (“The Strain”) stars as Kion.

The voice cast also includes Joshua Rush (“The Adventures of Puss in Boots”) as Kion’s best friend Bunga, a fearless honey badger; Atticus Shaffer (“The Middle”) as Ono, an intellectual egret; Diamond White (“Sofia the First”) as Fuli,a confident cheetah; and Dusan Brown (“Blaze and the Monster Machines”) as Beshte, a friendly and good-spirited hippo.

Additional cast members include: Eden Riegel (“All My Children”) as Kiara; Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family”) as Tiifu; Madison Pettis as Zuri and Jeff Bennett as Zazu (both from “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”); Andrew Kishino (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”) as Janja; Vargus Mason (“Sofia the First”) as Cheezi; Greg Ellis (“Star Wars Rebels”) as Mzingo; Khary Payton (“Teen Titans”) as Rafiki; and Kevin Schon (“The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa”) as Chungu and Timon. The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar;is a production of Disney Television Animation.